The report states: “License-for-payment systems punish people — not for any crime or traffic violation but for unpaid debts. Typically, when a state court finds a person guilty of a crime or traffic violation, it orders the person to pay a fine or other penalty along with other administrative court costs and fees. If the person does not pay on time, the court or motor vehicle agency can — and in some states, must — punish the person by suspending his or her driver’s license until the person pays in full or makes other payment arrangements with the court.”

Executive Director of Equal Justice Under Law, Phil Telfeyan, says, “Losing a license is devastating. Unable to drive, people often lose their jobs or have a hard time finding employment, making it even more unlikely that they will be able to pay their debts to the state. This system traps people who are poor in an impossible cycle of poverty. It needs to end.”

Our clients, Adrian Fowler and Kitia Harris, are both residents of Detroit and mothers of young children. They each were stopped for routine traffic violations, but when they could not afford to pay the fines — because they live well below the poverty line — the state suspended their drivers’ licenses. Now, Adrian has had difficulty finding and keeping a job, and Kitia, who suffers from a physical disability, can’t drive herself to her medical appointments.